WAKA HIRAHIRA

Ahakoa he waka hirahira
I tana haerenga tuatahi
he kakano kautere
mai te matangi

It may now be a great canoe
But its first journey
was as a seed floating
on the breeze

Happiness is a state of mind

Happiness is a state of mine

NA RAIHANIA FOR MAORI PARTY

Na Rongowhakaata Raihania announced as candidate
Saturday 18 May 2013

At the candidate selection hui held today at Ruahapia Marae at Waipatu, Hastings, Na Raihania was selected as the successful Mâori Party candidate to contest the seat on 29th June.
The selection wânanga saw three high calibre candidates present to the Mâori Party members gathered at Ruahapia; Te Rangihau Gilbert; Na Raihania and Mark Kopua.

TOI TAMANUHIIRI EXHIBITION

TAU MAI TE MAURI... TAU MAI TE MARAMA

Toi Tamanuhiri has been born from a desire to express the history, stories, songs and aspirations of our Whanau, from the past, the present and perceptions of the future. Our journey in recent decades has been both illuminating, painful and liberating as we fought for and then settled historic breaches to Treaty of Waitangi. Kua tae mai te wa – let us celebrate our Tupuna, Whanau and Mokopuna - We have survived.

Ngai Tamanuhiri are fortunate to have been invited to exhibit at the Tairawhiti Museum and for 6 weeks at Verve Café and our Marae and Village in Muriwai where we will share our own creative engagement space.

The Toi Tamanuhiri team for some time now have been seeking direction from our Pakeke at their monthly hui on the kaupapa - whilst working with the Tairawhiti Museum of the form and function of the exhibition at the main gallery in town and our Marae.
The kaupapa "Mana Whenua, Mana Moana, Mana Tangata" o Ngai Tamanuhiri.
Please share with us your stories and artwork as ‘the present and future’ of our Iwi story.
This exhibition is intended to showcase toanga tuku iho of our Tupuna with the creative talents of our whanau, we encourage all artists to participate. If you or someone in your whanau are weavers, carvers, painters, musicians, kaitito, photographers, moko and digital artists, dancers, kapa haka, writers, gardeners, sculptors, photographers, film makers, seamstresses, builders etc.

Then please do submit some work; na tau rourou – me taku rourou – ka ora ai te iwi

Key dates to remember are:
Work submission deadlines: 1st October 2013
Exhibition Opening: 14th December 2013
Exhibition Closing: March 30th 2014

There will be a series of wananga running throughout the year, prior to the opening date. The next one is scheduled for 10am, Sunday 2nd of June at Muriwai Marae followed by lunch then Reo Tamanuhiri till 3pm.
The kaupapa for the next wananga will be to start building an inventory of contemporary art. If you have something you would like to submit, please come to the wananga or contact Steve, Mel or John on the following details provided below.

Nga mihi
Steve Gibbs
Email: tipeneg1@gmail.com
Mobile: 027 245 3673

Melanie Tahata
Email: mel@aotearoa666.com
Mobile: 027 767 6607

Ngai Tamanuhiri Trust
Email: trust@tamanuhiri.iwi.nz
Phone: (06)862 8083

IGNORE ME AT YOUR PERIL

John Key’s government has never cared about the social impact of their policies. National firmly believe they only need to listen to the public once every three years... and apart from that they have an absolute mandate to screw us down and ignore our opinions. They totally ignored the asset sales protests... they ignored the 300, 000+ people who signed a petition for a referendum... they ignored concerns over the hokie-pokie deal with Sky City... they ignored the Maori Council challenge before it even got to court... they ignored the recommendations of the electoral commission... thus ignoring 1.3 million people who wanted change... they even ignored the other Parties over that... they ignored union concerns and negotiated a sweet-heart deal with Warner Bros (including millions in tax breaks)... they ignored teachers concerns about Charter Schools and ignored thousands of complaints about Novapay... effectively ruining Christmas for thousands of families... They’re currently overseeing the piss-poor treatment of Christchurch families trying to re-build their lives... and ignoring their pleas for help. 

It’s not Aaron Gilmore who should be apologising to the public... after all he’s just modelling the behaviour of his leader... i.e. utter contempt for the ordinary people... and an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Today National has further undermined the fabric of our society by ignoring a huge sector of the community... ordinary New Zealanders... they also ignore the indigenous sector (no surprises there)... and worst of all... they ignore the most vulnerable members of the community... our poor, cold and hungry children... who turn up at schools everyday. These children are at the cutting edge of our economy... they suffer the consequences of an economic downturn more directly than most... They’re the ones who have the sharp pangs of hunger as a daily companion. They suffer the outcome in silence... not through any fault of their own... but by the environment... political climate... economic conditions... social support networks... and/or employment opportunities... created by the rationale and policy of the current government... The crown built the infrastructure of this world... We simply travel the bridges they create for us. We didn’t choose this life... this life chose us.

Next year National will load the budget with goodies for everyone... Schools... Maori... Education... and Health... in a slippery attempt to buy votes in next year’s election. Obviously that’ll work much better if this year is memorable for nothing. So nothing it is... nothing worth talking about... and nothing to take to the bank.

Thanks John... thanks for nothing

ignore me at your peril...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO MOTHERS ALL OVER THE WORLD... and a special HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO MOTHER EARTH (PAPATUANUKU) AS WELL... if you are a mother... no matter where you are or who your with... This is for all of you and may you all have a very special day... My mum passed quite some time ago... Miss you mum... love you always... MAURIORA

Papatuanuku: the earth mother
Papatuanuku is the mother of all things… she is the earth that we live upon. She stretches out beneath her husband as the foundation of our culture. Ranginui is the great sky father… the vast expanse of the heavens. Papa is of course the nurturing parent and provides sustenance for her descendants. Not only is she the land we walk upon… she is also the life within the land. Everything is linked to the land… the plants, the trees, the birds, the lizards, the seals and the people. Papatuanuku nurtures them all… feeds them all… houses them all and at the end of their life… forms the final resting place for all creatures great and small. Rangi and Papa had many children including Tane, Tangaroa, Tawhirimatea, Tu, Rongo and Haumia. Papa was heavily pregnant with Ruaumoko when the winds of discontent began to blow in the world of darkness. As the children grew up they became annoyed with life between their parents. Soon they gathered deep in the darkness to discuss the problems of living in such conditions. Tangaroa was very keen to separate his parents but felt he was not nearly strong enough to complete such a task. Tawhirimatea apposed any talk of separation and threatened his brothers with eternal war if they even attempted to break them up. Tumatauenga scoffed at his brother’s emotional outburst and demanded their parents be separated immediately. Otherwise he would kill them himself. Then Tane stood up, “Calm down brothers - Let me try” he said. Tane thought for a while then lay with his back braced against his mother. He raised his feet up and placed them on his father. Tane strained with all his might and eventually he was able to pry his parents apart. Little by little they began to separate. Just then Tawhirimatea roared with anger then rushed off past Tane and the others to join Rangi. Meanwhile the light flooded into the world… it spread quickly into every corner of the land… and life, as we know it, was born. This is Te Ao Marama (the world of warmth and light)… and the true beauty of Papatuanuku could be seen at last. Her gorgeous cloak of a thousand shades of green, her impressive snow topped mountains, her abundant rivers, her lush valleys and her generous beaches simply confirm Papa as the mother of absolutely everything. When Tane wanted to create the first mortal women he asked his mother if he could use the sacred red soils of Kurawaka. Papatuanuku agreed to let him use it to mould a body and breathe life into it, on one condition. That if the life ever leaves that body, it be returned to Papa… to become soil again. Tane agreed… thus when we die we enter the underworld via the urupa (uru Papa)… and join our whanau whakapapa link to the land. Our whole existence begins and ends with the land. We are the land… and the land is us. Papatuanuku is the mother, the provider, the life and the whenua. We are the tangata whenua (people of the land).

MY MUM & HER SISTERS

LOVE YOU MUM... My mum was a hard working woman... and a very loving mother and grandmother... we miss her very much... her mum Hariata Matenga married Tutekawa Wyllie and lived right next to Te Kuri-a-Paoa... Hariata’s mother Ene Piri married Karepa Matenga who’s whanau originally came from the Wairarapa... Ene’s mum Raiha Piri was the daughter of Paora Tangara and a 'puhi' of Te Urungatoka... She married Penehoko Tupeka... his dad was Wi Tarapoto a vocal witness in the Land Court... Wi’s dad was Pita Maenene a great priest who cremated his brother on top of Te Kuri and coined the name Ngai Tahupo... Pita’s dad Ngarangituehu was the tuakana of his whanau and inherited his father’s mana. His dad Kahutia met Capt Cook and was paramount chief of his time... Kahu’s dad Te Rangiwahipu was a great warlord from Te Mahia who came to help Tuheke battle Rakaiatane... Te Rangiwahipu’s mum Haerengarangi was from Muriwai and married a Rakaipaaka fighting chief called Rangihakahaka... Haere’s father Te Tapunga-o-te-Rangi was born on top of Te Kuri after the bloody battle of Taitimuroa... his father Puraho-o-te-Rangi was killed at the foot of Te Kuri in that very battle... Puraho was the son of Paeaterangi... an aggressive warlord of Ngati Paea... he’s also the tekoteko on top of our whare. Paea’s mother was Rongomaiawhia the high ranking daughter of Tu Whakaoma and she married our great chief Tamanuhiri... te kakano o te whanau whanui o Ngai Tamanuhiri - tu ki te po, tu ki te Ao... that is my mums path... that is my path too... NGAI TAMANUHIRI... XXX OOO XXX HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MUM..

TAI KAWAKAWA

During the summer months... every full moon was seen as the catalyst for a tribal diving expedition. When I was a kid growing up in Muriwai the village was still thinking and acting as one. If any of the local whanau were going to the beach to get kina and paua... then everybody may as well go. It was a community way of thinking. One morning my uncle Nick turned up on the farm tractor and trailer. Tell your old man we’re off to the beach... he says. I replied... ok uncle... what times the tide? Uncle cracked up... he looked at me and said... etta bei...full moon last night, low tide’s always at midday on the full moon boy... hasn’t your useless dad taught you anything. He laughed and drove off. I never ever forgot that answer. I told my old man what Uncle Nick said and he clipped me round the ears... saying I bloody told you that heaps of times... you got no bloody ears man... I never forgot that answer either.

It was about 8am and low tide was at noon. Our favoured kina and paua beach was Taikawakawa and we needed to be in the water no later than 10. So uncle drove around the village collecting the whanau... Danny Morgan and them, Darryl Hawkins, Joe Toroa, Boof, Muddy, Anthony Carrington, Nanny Hopa, Ben Smith, Rakai, Guy Rock, Cricket, Leo, Mangu & Boy Kemp, Angus & Bubby and of course more Pohatu’s than you could poke a stick at... Willis; Noel; David; Barry; Lester; Paihau; Scottie; Maurice; Kevin; Simon; Harry; George  and of course me. Not to mention my dad, Uncle Matene, Uncle Major, Uncle Hare, Uncle Nick, Uncle Bub, Uncle Viv and Uncle Moana... And it wasn’t strictly men either... the women were more than welcome but most stayed home to prepare lunch.  Sometimes we needed two tractors so uncle Chop would take his Massey Fergusson... but no-one was ever left at home anyway. By the time they picked me and my dad up... the tractor was full... and in those pre-OSH days I use to stand at the back of the driver. It was all good... we were off.

To get to Taikawakawa we needed to drive about 4ks south along the main highway to Taranaki hill. Then we followed the Maraetaha River past Whakorekoretekai urupa down to the river mouth at Te Umu. From there we’d drive about 3ks flat tack along the beach to Umukehe where we’d park the vehicles. The ride there was my favourite part of the journey. Some of the old fullas would start telling stories and pointing out sites of interest... but most of the young fulla’s weren’t interested and laughed and joked. I guess I must have been listening tho... cos I remember Nanny Hopa telling us about the Kowhai. “Ka pua te Kowhai... ka reka te kina” when the Kowhai are blooming, the kina are sweet he says... and everyone sighs. A few minutes later Nanny Hopa reckons... “Ka pua te Rangiora... ka kawa te kina”... when the Rangiora is blooming the kina are sour... and again that sigh aaaagh. All I was thinking was (and unfortunately I said it out loud)... “What if the Kowhai and the Rangiora are blooming at the same time... are the kina sweet and sour” The whole tractor roared with laughter... Nanny Hopa sat up and glared at me... bloody cheeky little bugger he says...but the whanau around here are very witty and I knew from experience that if they’re not laughing with you... they’re probably laughing at you.  

More often than not I ended up sitting in the gate opening seat. Actually where ever I sat was the gate opening seat according to Nuna. By 9.30 we were parked at Umukehe. Every one would start checking their equipment. There were no fancy diving suits but... nor any fancy extras like goggles or a snorkel. Our checklist was a lot more basic back then... bag (check)... knife (check)... diving gumboots (check)... ALL SYSTEMS GO. In many ways the term “diving” was a real stretch of the imagination as no-one here expected to be in water more that 3-4 feet deep. Some ‘DIVERS’ didn’t even get their hair wet... but all divers got their bags full... NO SWEAT. This was Taikawakawa and it was loaded with kina, paua and koura. When we finally entered the water each family would head off to their favourite spots and start gathering kaimoana. I always followed my dad and he always had a karakia as we walked along. Then he would point out rua koura to me... but nothing was ever mentioned to anyone else... these were whanau spots. One was in real close to the shore and my dad reckons crayfish used it as a low water shelter... We would always catch them there... it was always our first point of call. Then we would head out to the other one... a ledge that ran parallel to the Mapere cliff face. Sometimes we would use our feet to marshal crayfish into a better position to catch them... and catch them we would.

The first time I caught a crayfish at Taikawakawa I ran 20 meters to show my dad and said... “Look I got one”... Choice my son... he said... but where’s his mate? Crayfish always got a mate boy... go find his mate. I put my crayfish in the bag then I ran back to the rock and started searching for the mate. My dad taught me how to feel under the rocks and ledges. I knew how to search for the crayfish feelers... then to feel my way to the crayfish back... and to grab the crayfish on its back so it couldn’t hurt you. If you grab under the tail or even worst allow the legs to clamp you... then it will hurt (especially a big one). Soon I found the mate and after a bit more searching I found two more. That was lesson one in crayfish gathering. Another time... I felt the unmistakable shape of a paua... I borrowed the old mans knife... and I lifted the rock to prize it off. Again I was keen to share this first paua with my dad. Neat alright my son he said... but now you can find his whanau... they all be around somewhere... paua always travel as a whanau son. This time dad joined me and together we searched all around the rock. In the end we got 16 paua from the immediate area. As we moved rocks to look underneath my dad reminded me to always put the rocks back how you find them... that is our way son. Lesson one in paua collecting.

We would fill our bags with mostly kina... but I was always in search of either paua or crayfish. The water was about 3 feet and we would reach under the ledges and search them quickly... ever alert for the tell tale touch of crayfish feelers. You were effectively fishing blind and there were definitely other residents of the ledges and some could bite... like eels, stone fish or even stingrays. My dad told me about a time when my mum was using her feet to sweep some of the deeper ledges. They were about 15 or so... and as my mum moved along the ledge... she was bitten by a conger eel. The eel locked on to her foot and my dad helped her to the nearest rock where he cut the head of the eel off and unlocked the jaw to remove it... MY HEROE type stuff or what? And I saw with my own eyes how my uncle Chop would talk to the stingrays and tell them to piss off... this is his rock; go find your own crayfish. One time uncle Chop and I were diving around a rock when a stingray turned up. The water was about 3 feet deep and uncle stood up, splashed water at the stingray several times then told it to get lost. He told me never to panic... They looking for crayfish just like us. He pointed at the water and told me that when it’s really murky like this... they trying to ambush the crays... watch out when the water is dirty. Priceless.

Right on the turning tide... around midday... the signal would go out and everyone would start to exit the water and start making their way back to the tractor. They were parked about 1k away and everyone’s bags were generally full. Once word went out... no one complained, no one delayed and no one questioned the decision. This is how we always done it... the tide turns pretty quickly and the waters can get rough in no time. The trek back to the tractor was always quiet... and most would tend to collect pupu on the way back... my mum liked pupu so I always did... but once we arrived at thr tractor the bullshit soon started. Who got what and how many... WOT??? HOW MANY??? We would stand there and compare catches... everyone had kina... half had heaps of paua and about a quarter had all the crayfish. I was a crayfish man and getting the biggest or the most was the goal every time we went out. Once I caught two pack-horse crays (big green mothers) they were a real show stopper. But there were others with mean skills too. Scottie was the octopus man... always one or two each trip... and ironically he was a very slippery character himself. Uncle Matene knew exactly where all the big paua were. Noel would always snatch heaps of crayfish. Mangu and Boy were like mega collectors... but we were family and often the haves would share with the have nots and at the end of the day everyone got a good feed and a brilliant day out... bonding as a people.

The salt water made the eyelids heavy on the return trip and the conversation was a lot more subdued. Everyone’s thoughts were back at home and at the dinner table already... planning lunch and contemplating an afternoon nap. When we finally reached the village uncle would drop everyone off where he picked them up. Each whanau would unload there bags and take them inside to distribute as they saw fit. When we got to our place we took the bags behind the house and lay everything out on the lawn. My mum would come out to see our catch. My grandmother and my mums older sister Aunty Pae were always included in our calculations. I loved crayfish so I always cooked 2 or 3 for lunch right then. The kina were all placed in a big fresh water drum as was the preference of my parents and while we were eating lunch my nan would help herself to the koura. She’d have the pick of all the crays and we knew... she was gonna ‘mara’ them... ara koina ko te koura-mara (rotten crayfish). Not my first choice of food but a real delicacy in the minds and mouths of our old people. Sharing the catch is an important part of our tikanga and we believe those who can... should share with those who can’t.

Our trips to Taikawakawa were an awesome outing not only in terms of the kai we brought home... but also in terms of the whanaungatanga and bonding of the whanau unit. Being an iwi is all about thinking, behaving and acting as one. These tribal expeditions of the 70s and 80s... to a single place with a single purpose and a single outcome are the last remnants of the collective effort for collective gain mentality that made us an iwi in the first place. At one point the iwi done everything together... fishing, hunting, gardening, fighting and surviving... He whanau kotahi tatou.

Today the only place we meet as one... is on the iwi register.

I LIVE MY LIFE

I live my life enjoying the things I enjoy... doing the things I like doing... creating the things I want to create. I am not a rich man... but I live a rich life and my wealth is better measured in terms of my aroha... my whanau... my wairua... my hinengaro and my tipuna who all contribute to who I am and who I want to be. I am the sum total of many stories... many paths... and many beating hearts who make me so proud and so proactive... 

tau mai te mauri... tau mai te marama

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???

...so Aaron says "don't you know who I am?" then everybody knew who he was... then he reckons to the waiter 'I'll get the big guy to kick ur arse' and the big guy wants to kick ares alright but not the waiters... cos his bro texts that Aaron did do it... and Aaron texts I know... and then the big guy really did kick his arse... but Aaron said "no... stop kicking my bottom... I won't go... don't you know who I am John?" lol

SMART TECHNOLOGY

Smart technology does not make us smart people and even the smartest technology is no substitute for real talent. Having an i-phone, i-pad or i-pod with apps that have all the bells and whistles won’t make you an expert bell ringer or an exceptional whistler... you need that talent first. Wiz kid tech-necks provide smart technology to give everybody fingertip access to incredible artificial intelligence... and apparently your own intelligence is irrelevant because the technology is designed for idiots.

But don’t be fooled by the idiot-proof claims of the app builders because they underestimate the value of god given talent. Just because you have a mega pixel camera does not make you a photographer... having the latest Photoshop will not make you an illustrator and having a desktop mixer won’t make you a chart topping recording artist... you need talent. Smart people make smart technology but smart technology doesn’t always make smart people. These apps are simply tools... like a paint brush... or a filter... or a guitar pic BUT the reality is... the talent drives the technology... not the other way around. 

Tech brands claim these apps are brilliant shortcuts... but there are no shortcuts to talent... there are no shortcuts to real vision... and there are no shortcuts to true creativity. So forget about the i-pad the i-pod and the i-phone apps... focus on the ‘I’ talents and apply the ‘I’attitude... I am... I can... and I will... 

MAURIORA

100 COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS

Another awesome morning in Tamaki. Today the big fulla will be buried in Uawa... Haere atu ra e te rangatira. I’ll definitely log into the live stream for the service. 

Today I also need to get on with the e-book korero. I want this to be the basis of my exhibition in December so I need to push on. To date I have identified 60-70 tipuna so far and about 15-20 chapters of korero are complete to final draft stage. Have been in touch with Steve Gibbs back home to see how things are progressing and to let him know my thinking. In terms of the illustrations I have started the thumb nails to try and define a style. Ideally the new illustrations will be consistent with each other and form a set.

Have started some of the illustration thumb nails

Once I have clarified that style in my head I can start developing the 100 colour illustrations for the e-book asap. There will be 100 chapters featuring 100 of the most recognised tipuna in my whakapapa. All feature illustrations will be new for this book... but I will include much of my existing work as secondary illustrations etc. As well as the colour versions I need to save clean b/w versions to include as an extra resource. I would also like to include as part of each chapter... whakapapa charts (to and from tipuna), whakatauki, pepeha, photographs of carving if possible... podcast recording (brief korero by various people), waiata, haka and photos of relevant landmarks.

I decided to make the main story for each chapter about 500-550 words long. That should be long enough to capture the essence of the korero. It is quite hard to reduce some stories to just 500 word because they are so complex... but I think 500 words is about right for this... essentially an overview of my whakapapa. At the moment I have 20 draft chapters at final draft stage. It should be noted that the stories are kept fairly generic and are not to deep or too scary. I understand that some iwi have different versions of the korero and some people may dispute the characters involve... but this is my version of my whakapapa. I’ve also made an effort to sanitise the korero and illustrations in an effort to make the material child friendly

TAUMATA RANGATIRA (e-book)

Live link to TANGI in UAWA
http://www.r2.co.nz/20130501/

Technology now allows us a window to what’s going on back home. Tomorrow we’ll be able to follow proceedings at the tangi of Parekura Horomia via LIVE STREAMING... and those who are unable to attend can be connected via the live link. Awesome... I am so into this kind of technology. We must be able to connect with our whanau online and my immediate future is all about solving that problem for my own kaupapa. I have all these ideas in my head and so much korero that I want to publish... but in some sort of formal publication. Started with the illustrations last week... I’ve done 3 and there are 97 to go. My plan is to produce 100 digital chapters based on whakapapa and create downloadable files... Hopefully I can market them via my growing digital network and sell them direct to the customer. I don’t want to publish via the traditional route anymore... I would prefer cutting out all the middle men and deal direct with the public via an e-system... The e-book is called TAUMATA RANGATIRA and is about one mans whakapapa (mine)

I have drawn up a list of tipuna to feature in the e-book thus far... Ranginui, Papatuanuku, Tane Mahuta, Tangaroa, Tumatauenga, Tawhirimatea, Haumia Tiketike, Rongomaraeroa, Ruaumoko, Hineahuone, Hinenuitepo Tawhaki, Hinepukohurangi, Hineteiwaiwa, Mahuika, Taranga, Maui Potiki, Uenuku Whakarongo, Kupe, Nukutawhiti, Toitehuatahi, Whatonga, Paikea Ariki, Huturangi , Te Whironui, Paoa, Kiwa, Hinehakirirangi, Pouheni, Tamatea Arikinui, Tamatekapua, Hoturoa, Toroa, Wairaka, Puhi,Turi, Tamakihikurangi, Ruawharo, Porourangi, Tahu-Potiki, Hamoterangi, Ruapani, Tamanuhiri, Rangitihi, Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata, Tawake-Whakato, Mahaki, Tapuae, Tuhourangi, Tutamure, Rakaipaaka, Rahiri, Iranui, Hauiti, Taua, Rongomaiwahine, Tutekawa, Tutekohi, Apanui, Ruataupare, Tuwhakairiora, Tinirau, Te Huki, Meke, Kahutia, Rawiri Te Eketuoterangi, Tekani-a-Takirau... and many others.

Each chapter will have a new feature pic... that’s what I’m working on now... getting the images consistent... and defining the over-all look and design. Have been reseaching the korero for some time and decided on a main story word count 500-600... plus all other relevant paragraphs re maps, artworks, charts or other information etc. Set myself a deadline of September 14... to have all artworks and korero complete. Fingers crossed... want it ready for the exhibition.

YOU KNOW WHO I AM???

Dumb Waiter or Stupid Politician

Drunken lout wanna be bogan National List MP Aaron Gilmore raises a pretty serious question... “Do we know who he is?” come to think of it... “Do we know any of the bucket list MPs?” and what the hell do they do. I mean even the Maori seats have real voters to answer to... No one voted for the bucket list... their names were never printed on any voting forms... some weren't even good enough to loose a race... they just ended up on a shitty list and BOOM... they were just as surprised as almost all the NZ First MPs when they got in. 

Think about it... all them back benchers and bucket list guys in parliament everyday... they get a good salary... free ride to work... free accommodation... a nice office in the beehive... many many free lunches... a comfy seat in the debating chamber... and the best entertainment money can buy... they get to laugh ‘at’ and ‘with’ some of the smartest people in the country. But if the public doesn't know you are a Member of Parliament... then clearly you’re not doing enough for them. We should know who’s on our bucket list... we should know who’s listed at 119 and 120... we should know all the people we pay to represent us... if we don’t... do we really need them?well that's what I reckon anyway

THE BATTLE OF THE EAST

WELL... in the morning Parekura will be laid to rest on the East Coast... but even as he lies in state the thoughts of political leaders are focused on the gapping hole left in parliament and the pending battle for the Tairawhiti. You can almost hear the whispers as the political manuhiri shuffle past the coffin and Labour will have to think long and hard about a replacement for Parekura. The Maori Party hasn’t done itself any favors with the recent in-fighting and leadership squabbles... but if Na Raihania is running he has a strong whanau links... Mana remains confident as ever... They’re in a strong position to really contest the seat. 

It’s also possible National might put up a local like Hekia to break-up the numbers... and possibly the Greens will kick in with a candidate (go Manu Caddie). Not sure they’ll all bother to really push hard but they might all contest... to show respect to the Ikaroa Rawhiti. Of Course the Maori Roll is currently in recount mode and it’s quite conceivable not too many of the cuzzies on the coast have bothered to re-enroll. The parties will have to push for registrations I guess... and some Maori don’t like being hurried for any reason... interesting to see what happens. Can’t wait to see Native Affairs kick into gear and analyze the political maneuvering leading up to the by-election. 

With the Asset Sales and Water Rights so fresh in the minds of Maori be interesting to see how voters react... will the Maori Party suffer the affects of an iwi backlash or are people happy with what they’ve done? Anyway within the next 45 days we’ll have a new MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti... and they’ll have huge shoes to fill... whoever they are.

Well that's what I reckon anyways

WNRP

TOI TU TAMANUHIRI

The theme of my entry into TOI TAMANUHIRI will be "THE ART OF WHAKAPAPA" and feature my artworks, whakapapa charts, maps, illustrations, photos, graphics, digital presentations and korero-a-waha... My offering will be digital by nature... and will tell the story of my cultural DNA... from the very stirring stories of our origins... to raising the great fish... to the anchoring of Endeavor... and the signing of the treaty in May 1840... An illustrated voyage through countless generations and a comprehensive statement of our mana whenua, moana moana and mana tangata. 



Ko Matiti te maunga
Ko Maraetaha te awa, 
ko Ngai Tamanuhiri te iwi... 
TOI TU TAMANUHIRI